In school, I would get very upset when guys called me 'moti' or say things like 'kaunse chakki ka aata khati hai?' I would pick up fights.

But once I started working, I got mentally prepared for it because my weight was my bread and butter.

When I started working, my father made me understand that I was not the film's heroine. I was the comedian, so I should be able to laugh at myself.

Did you ever try to lose weight?

Yes, five or six years ago. When I was working, I was not allowed to lose weight. If I would even say it, people would panic.

When I did Sorry Meri Lorry (in 1995), I lost 10 kilos. One day, (writer-director) Adi Pocha looked up from the monitor and said, ''Guddi, my serial is Sorry Meri Lorry. You hardly look like a lorry.'

So I had to gain weight again.

But I have lost weight now.

Image: Guddi Maruti and Johnny Lever in Kasam

You did a lot of movies with David Dhawan and Govinda.

I did a lot of films with Pahlaj Nihlani as well. He was a very good producer.

David Dhawan is very creative with his comedy. Since he was an editor before, all his films are crisp, sharp and to the point.

Govinda was excellent. It was fun working with him. He would improvise on the spot, and change dialogues. You always have to be alert when you're working with him.

How has comedy changed over the years?

Comedy has changed a lot. Nowadays, all the comic scenes are done by the lead stars, not comedians. Johnny Lever is the only (comic) actor still getting work.

In olden days, the pattern was different. There would be one comic track with proper comedians. The hero and the heroine did the song and dance, and the romance. The villain would do his part.

Shubha Khote, Mehmood and Johnny Walker would do only comedy. Even when I joined, there were comic tracks. But they slowly stopped by the mid-1990s.

There is no work in films. But there are lots of comedy shows on television.

Image: Guddi Maruti in Doli Armaano Ki

Why did you stop working?

I got married to a businessman and was planning to start a family. But I had a problem (conceiving). The doctor asked me to stop working for some time but that did not help.

I thought of working again but by then, the working scene had changed.

In my entire career of 35 years, I never had to ask for work. So I waited for the work to come to me.

Earlier Pahlaj (Nihalani) or David (Dhawan) or (filmmaker) Vimal Kumar would just call. But now, it's compulsory to have coordinators and managers. And you have to give auditions too.

In those days, we never even made agreements; everything was done on word-of-mouth.

Meanwhile, I signed some television shows but I worked on my pace. I did a negative role in Doli Armaano Ki and I enjoyed that.

But TV shows are shot in Naigaon (north-west Mumbai) and I cannot travel that far. If I have to report at 8:30 am, I have to leave home at 6 am. If we pack up by 9 pm, I will reach home two hours later.

Also, for daily soaps, you have to work everyday.

It's too much hard work.

Serials are very complicated. You don't get to improvise, you have to stick to a certain style.

Failure has never affected me, even when I did not get work for a long time. I do not miss being in front of the camera.

Why don't you attempt stand-up comedy?

Eighteen years ago, Vrajesh Hirjee and I did Sorry Meri Lorry, which was stand-up comedy.

We did not have a script-writer on our show. We were spontaneous. Nowadays, stand-up comedians get script-writers.

Which comedians did you enjoy watching?

I loved Mehmood and Kishore Kumar's work.

I have only done one film with Mehmood. When I was doing Sorry Meri Lorry, he came home and told me I was doing good work.

I loved the comedy show called Here's Lucy. (Lucille Ball) was a fantastic actress. I wish I would get something like that.

Among the new generation of actors, Krushna and Sudesh's comic timing is very good. Even Bharati does good stand-up comedy.

First, there was Tun Tun, then Preeti Ganguly and then me. Now, it is Bharati.